Pen-name of Francis Sylvester Mahony (sometimes written O'Mahony), priest and author. Born in 1804 in Cork, Ireland; died in 1866 in Paris, France. Ordained at Lucca, Italy in 1832, he exercised his priestly office only for a short time at Cork. In 1834 he moved to London, wrote for Fraser's Magazine, and Bentley's Magazine, and was sent by Dickens to Rome in 1846 as correspondent for the Daily News. After 12 years he went to Paris as correspondent for the Globe. Popularly known as the author of The Bells of Shandon, he owes his literary fame, however, to his collection of writings Reliques of Father Prout.